Valve



G. J. KAUFFMANN.

VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-22. 19m.

Patented July 19, 1921.

,ggg r INVENTOR: Georye Jjfazgfmann;

' ATTORNEYS.

.FIC5': H.

wmzzssss: m 5 6 UNITED STATES GEORGE J'. KAUFFMANN, 0F EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSI MAURICE I. RICHARDSON, 0F CYNWYD, PENNSYLVANIA.

VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patent d J l 19 1921 Application filed August 22, 1919. Serial No. 319,048.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE J. KAUFFMANN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Easton, in the county of Northampton and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valves,

whereof the followingis a specification, ref-' erence being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to valves such as are used in the suction and discharge of pumps handling various kinds of fluids. It is my aim to improve the wearing qualities and action of such valves and of the associated parts; to make it possible for pumps to operate with less leakage and higher available capacity; to reduce the renewal expense; and to lengthen the intervals between necessary shut downs. Other advantages obtainable in connection with my invention will appear from the description hereinafter of the best forms of embodiment at present known to me, while its real scope and essence will be indicated in my claims.

Heretofore, pump valves have been made principally of one material-and in one single form: that is to say, of rubber in the shape of a disk fiat on both sides and quite thick and heavy. Such valves erode irregularly under the conditions of use, and very soon leak excessively, which greatly diminishes the efficiency and output of the pump. The valves wear out very quickly,often in from one to ten days,--which involves heavy renewal expense and frequent and far more costly and annoying shut-downs for renewals. Efforts at improvement have, in general, been in the direction of employing metal reinforcement for stiffening the rubber body or seating surface of the valve, or else of substituting various fiber or mineral compositions for rubber as a valvematerial,but without de arture from the thick, heavy, fiat form. uch efforts have, however, brought but trifling improvements and the wear of such valves is greatly aggravated by variations of temperature over wide ranges, and by drying out of the valves when the pumps are not continuously operated. Occasional attemps to employ essentially different materials or any other than the thick, flat, heavy disk form have been equally futile in a practical way.

I have discovered that all these defects can be overcome by radical departure from accepted practice as regards both the material and the form of the valve: that. is, by making the valve of metal and so thin as to beyery light as compared with the valves described above. The benefits of this radical change can be considerably enhanced by such a design of the sealing parts of the valve structure,-the movable member or valve proper and its seat,-that they shall come in contact only over a relatively narrow zone, and also by rounding or otherwise suitably reducing the edges of the valve member past which the water flows when the valve is opening and closing. While the narrow zone of contact can be secured in various ways, the most advantageous is by formmg the valve member with outstanding portions which reinforce and stiffen it, and whose tops or crests constitute the contact surfaces of said member. This can best be done by making the valve of sheet metal and suitably embossing it, as by a stamping,

pressing, or spinning operation. It is also ends or ONE-HALF 'ro of advantage that the outer contact zone portions of the valve disk or member recede sharply, on both sides, from the contact zones at their tops.

In the drawings, Figure I, shows a valve assembly with a valve embodying my invention, certain parts being in axial section.

Fig. II, is a plan view, certain upper parts being broken away and removed.

Fig. III, is a perspective view of a modified form of valve in axial section.

The valve assembly shown in Figs. I and II, is of an ordinary type, comprising a seat structure 1 screwed into the wall 2 of the pump chamber and having a rim 2*, radial webs 3, and a central hub 4. Into the hub 4 is screwed a stud 5 that serves as a guide member for the valve and carries a flanged and fluted head 6 that fits within and affords an abutment for the helical compresstud 5, and annularly embossed, at 10 and 11, to afford narrow outstanding contact zones for engaging and coacting with the inner and outer fiat annular seats or seating surfaces 12 and 13 of the structure 1. As

shown, these annular embossings are adjacent the inner and outer edges 14 and 15 of the valve disk 8, whose curved surfaces tioned and to facilitate free rocking of the loose valve on its guide seat.

The embossing of the metal disk 8 to form the outstanding contact zones strengthens it to such an extent as to permit it to be made much thinner and lighter than would otherwise be consistent with a proper degree of member 5 and its stiffness and ruggedness. The thinness of 'to 18 inches in diameter or more.

the valve also affords a highly desirable flexibility and resiliency under the working pressure to which ,it. is subjected in the operation of the pump. In order to prolong the life of the valve as much as possible, it may advantageously .be made of non-oxidiz- 1n metal.

ig. III, shows a slightly modified form of valve suitable for large sizes,such as 12 As here shown, the body of the valve member between its inner and outer contact zones is relnforced and rendered more rigid by means of radially extending ribs 16 embossed to slightly less height than the contact zone embossments.

The great strength of my valve in either form and its-light weight permit rapid and quick action at high pressures with minimum shock, thus reducing wear on the valve and valve seatsand greatly prolonging their life. Wear is also minimized by the narrowness and rounding of the seating zones and the resultant reduction of the tendency for grit to lodge at these points. Its strength andstiifness also allow direct support by contact with the radial'webs 3 to be dispensed with, which tends to eliminate sticking and promotes free flow of the liquid bemg pumped. Its elasticity and flexibility and the outstanding of its seating surfaces from its main body portion permit it to seat and seal tightly on old seat structures where the inner and outer seats have been worn down to different levels,-and this even When the seats are worn down below the tops of the radial webs connecting the inner and outer seats. The fact that the crests of the contact zones afford the sole sealing with the corresponding fiat valve seats and its entlre freedom of self adjustment to the full resale? extent permitted by its resiliency and flat form also favor tight sealing under all conditions. The annular reinforcement and stiffening of the inner and outer edges of the valve 8 by its outstanding annular contact zone portions 12 and 13 prevents the valve from being bent out of shape and so ruined by the pressure and momentum of the water when pieces of foreign material lodge under it. The sharp recession of the contact zone portions 12 and 13 from the contact zones at their tops greatly contributes toward minimizing the tendency for foreign matter or dirt to lodge beneath them.

The extreme thinness permits maximum valve opening and greatly diminishes the suction required to lift the valve, and this thinness and the narrowness of the contact zone at the central valve aperture also greatly reduce the tendency for dirt or grit to lodge and stick'at this point and wear the valve aperture larger, so as to bring about a condition of excessive leakage. The lightness of the valve permits its use in horizontal, inclined, or vertical positions with equal efficiency, and it also permits rocking motion of the valve around the stud 5. so as to give a quick action under light suction.

The making of the valve of metal obviates the necessity for pump users to carry in stock valves of various compositions and change them when different liquids (such as water, oil, acid, alcohol, etc.,) are pumped, or when the temperature or pressure of the liquid varies, since the metal employed may be non-oxidizing and anti-corrosive or aci resisting. All the parts of the valve assembly may be made of the same metal, so as to minimize electrolytic action.

To give an idea of the possible lightness and utility of my type of valve, I may cite the fact that a valve 4%" in outside diameter of metal thick may weigh less than 5 ounces, and will give many months or even a year or more of satisfactory, eflicient, continuous service.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. The combination. of a pump valve seat with inner and outer annular seat surfaces; a guide member; and a thin, light guide-apertured metal disk valve for said seat rein- ,forced and stiffened with outstanding annular contact zone portions for coacting with the aforesaid annular seat surfaces; said valve being loose on said guide member and free to rock with reference thereto and to 1ts seat.

2. The combination of a pump valve seat with inner and outer annular seat surfaces; a guide member; and a thin, light guide-apertured metal disk valve for said seat with inner and outer edges annularly reinforced and stiffened and receding sharply from its seating face; said valve being loose on said guide member and free to rock with reference thereto .and to its seat.

3. The combination of a pump valve seat with inner andouter annular seat surfaces; a central guide member; and a thin, light guide-apertured metal disk valve for said seat reinforced and stiffened with outstanding annular contact zone portions that recede sharply on both sides from the contact zones at their tops and coact with the aforesaid annular seat surfaces; said valve being loose on said guide member and free to rock with reference thereto and to its seat.

4:. The combination of a pump valve seat with inner and outer annular seat surfaces a guide member; and a thin, light guide-apertured metal disk valve for said seat havin its .outer edge reinforced and stiffened witli an outstanding annular contact zone portion that recedes sharply on both sides from the.

contact zone at its top and coacts with the aforesaid outer annular seat surface, and its inner edge also annularly reinforced and stiffened; said valve being loose on said guide member and free to rock with reference thereto and to .its seat, and its inner edge being rounded from the seating face of the valve to facilitate such rocking.

5. A thin, light metal ump valve, adapted to rock freely with re erence to the guide and seat of a pump mounting, and consisting of a metal disk reinforced and stiffened at its outer edge with an annular outstanding contact zone portion that recedes sharply on both sides from the contact zone at its top.

6. A thin, light metal pump valve, adapted to rock freely with reference to the guide member and seat of an ordinary commercial pump valve mounting, and "consisting of a guide-apertured metal disk reinforced and stiffened with outstanding annular contact zone portions for coacting with the inner and outer annular seat surfaces of an ordinary commercial pump valve seat.

7. A thin, li ht metal ump valve, adapted to rock free y with re erence to the guide member and seat of an ordinary commercial pump valve mounting, and consisting of a guide-apertured metal disk with inner and outer edges annularly reinforced and stiffened and receding sharply from its seating face, the receding inner edge being rounde so as to facilitate rocking of the valve about a guide member.

8. A thin, light metal ump valve, adapted to rock freely with re erence to the guide member and seat of an ordinary commercial pump valve mounting, and consisting of a guide-apertured metal disk reinforced and stiffened with outstanding annular contact zone portions that recedesharply on both sides from the contact zones at their tops and are adapted to coact with the inner and outer annular seat surfaces of an ordinary commercial pump valve seat.

9. A thin, light metal ump valve, adapted to rock freely with re erence to the gulde member and seat of an ordinary commercial pump valve mounting, and consisting of a guide-a ertured sheet metal disk reinforced and sti ened at its outer edge with an embossed outstanding annular contact zone portion that recedes sharply on both sides from the contact zone at its top, and annularly reinforced and stiffened at its inner edge by rounding and flanging inward of said edge away from the contact face of the disk so as to facilitate rocking of the disk with reference to said member.

10. A thin, light metal pump valve, adapted to rock freely with reference to the gulde member and seat of an ordinary commercial pump valve mounting, and consisting of a guide-apertured sheet metal disk reinforced and stiffened with inner andouter outstanding annular embossed contact zone portions that recede sharply on both sides from the contact zones at their tops and are adapted to coact with the inner and outer annular seat surfaces of an ordinary commercial pump valve seat.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania this fourteenth day of August, 1919.

GEORGE J. KAUFF MA'NN.

Witnesses:

Jams H. BELL, E. L. FULmR'roN. 

